CHARACTERISATION OF MIXED BEACH SEDIMENT

Kaiming She, Xiao Wei Yu, Ian Thomas

Abstract

This paper presents a field study of a mixed sand-gavel beach which is subjected to all-year round maintenance activities including an annual recharge and recycling and/or re-profiling following storm events. Over one year period, sediment samples are collected weekly for the first month immediately after the annual recharge and then monthly afterwards. Special collections are also made before and after major storm events. The primary focus is on how the sediment characteristics varies in space and over time. In addition, the impact of the beach maintenance on the sediment sorting process is also investigated.